Nearly half of Canadians watch video content on a mobile device

According to the latest edition of Ericsson’s annual ConsumerLab TV & Media report, which analyzes the viewing habits of 680 million consumers worldwide, 45 percent of Canadians now watch TV and video on their smartphones or tablets. Moreover, 35 percent of all Canadian binge viewing is done via video on demand services like Netflix, Shomi and CraveTV.

The survey also revealed nearly two thirds of time spent by teenagers watching TV and video (59 percent of respondents in this age group) happens on mobile devices.

It also seems this growth is mostly due to the fact that user-generated content platforms like YouTube are becoming increasingly popular with younger demographics. For example, one in 10 consumers indicated they watch YouTube for more than three hours per day, and one in three consider being able to watch YouTube on their television a necessity.

In a statement to MobileSyrup, Ericsson ConsumerLab senior adviser Anders Erlandsson said, “The continued rise of streamed video on demand and UGC services reflects the importance of three specific factors to today’s viewers: great content, flexibility, and a high-quality overall experience. Innovative business models that support these three areas are now crucial to creating TV and video offerings that are both relevant and attractive.”

Ericsson ConsumerLab’s findings also reveal binge watching multiple episodes of a television show in one sitting is quickly becoming a significant part of how Canadians consume content, in part due to the popularity of video streaming services like Netflix, as well as Bell Media’s CraveTV and Rogers’ Shomi. In early August, CraveTV revealed it has 730,000 subscribers in Canada and plans to untether its subscription from only television subscribers on January 1st. Rogers recently opened up Shomi subscriptions to all Canadians with an internet connection, as well.

Additionally, nearly half of Canadians surveyed say that when viewing traditional television they rarely find something worth watching, and 22 percent of respondent who have never subscribed to a traditional cable service are already utilizing platforms like Netflix.

But Ericsson’s data also reveals that while non-traditional forms of watching television and video is on the rise, the popularity of linear TV remains relatively high, mainly because it’s often the only way to watch live content such as awards shows and sports, although internet TV services like Rogers’ NHL GameCentre Live are becoming increasingly popular.

The data in this survey is based on the results of interviews with over 22,500 people worldwide, including a number of Canadians.

Interestingly enough, when I look at my YouTube analytic data, I see that my videos are being viewed on a phone or tablet by over 50% of my audience (phones 28% / tablets 26%). My website stats show the same numbers, so I wouldn’t be surprised if 50% of video content (overall) is being viewed on mobile devices in the very near future.

Soju Wave

I don’t see anywhere in the report singling out Canadians. Is it really fair to say that 35% of all Canadian Binge Viewing is done via Netflix, Crave TV, and Shomi? or 45% of Canadians watch content on smartphones and tablets? I may be missing something.